Lambeau Field

Dominic enjoyed the Packer painted truck in the Pro-shop at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. I surprised them with a tour of Lambeau on our mini-vacation. It was very interesting.

The tour guide was nice enough to snap our photo before leaving the field. I was going to photo shop Todd into the picture because he couldn't come with on our vacation, he had to WORK !!! :-) Yay !!

Seats we will never be able to sit in again. Sigh.....

Dominic was in disbelief from the moment I pulled into the parking lot of Lambeau Field. Here he is walking where his heroes have walked. He is one happy little boy !

The tour included seeing a room (or suite rather) that someone can rent for a mere $30,000 that includes 48 game tickets and all the food and drink you can consume. Very plush indeed. Kind of sickening to think about the $$$ spent there. Famous 'butts' have sat in those very seats. Big whoopie ding :-P It was a nice view of the stadium however..If I do say so. And I do.

Food, Glorious Food

What would you like to order for breakfast Francesca ? We are at I-HOP, famous for its pancakes, you know. "I think I'll have Macaroni and Cheese please." She must be 7 or something :-)

Gabriella and her Strawberry Belgian Waffles. I think she's happy.

Our weekend in Green Bay also included a visit to Coldstone Creamery. Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum. One yum for every pound I gained :-)

Olive Garden was worth the 40 minute wait to be seated. We had never been there before as a family, SOOOO good. Endless salad and bread sticks makes a bunch of kids and their Mom pretty happy. Oh, and Marnina's pizza was 5-stars !!

Vince playing with my cell phone during our wait for a table at Olive Garden. It's amazing how many things you can do with a cell phone. Thank goodness for technological distractions to help pass the time. I was busy watching people, my favorite pasttime :-)

Waterpark FUN !!!

Tundra Lodge in Green Bay, Wisconsin is a great place to go with kids. We haven't been anywhere like this in over 10 years, so it was high time to go. The children saved up their coins for over a year, and finally got to 130 dollars, about the price of one night at the water park. So, a promise is a promise, and off we went !! This is Francesca very happy to be here !

Vince enjoyed the waterslides. There were only 2, but he wore them out ! He tried pulling all of his tricks to make them more interesting, including turning himself around mid-slide and coming out the exit chute backwards. Hey, he only had about 20 seconds so I think he did pretty good!!

Gabriella looking lovely and happy all at the same time :-)

Marnina looking beautiful and joyful all at the same time :-)

This is immediately prior to entering the water park for the first time Friday afternoon. They have NO idea what awaits them......

The M-A-L-L

The mall in Green Bay is the closest large shopping center to us. We hardly ever get there, but needed to do some school shopping. Todd's cousin in California generously supplied some shopping money for that, so we got what we needed and couldn't resist a special treat for our day. There was a candy shop with imported candies from Germany. The kids each chose their favorite. Here's Marny with blue raspberry/vanilla thingies (?), her choice...........

And here's Gabby with malted milk balls, her favorite (mine too when a kid)......

Dominic chose the gummy snake, like every good boy should.......

And Francesca also chose the gummy snake, this is not something I would have done........ I hope this isn't indicative of anything :-) Needless to say we really enjoyed our time at the mall, and wish we could shop there more often, maybe when our status changes. Being unemployed does put a damper on outings like this one. Thank you California Angels for your generosity !!!

The F-A-I-R

The Dickinson County Fair in Norway, Michigan is great fun and close to home. Gabby and Marny just finished the Scrambler ride and they are looking quite Scrambled !!

Dominic is looking forward to squishing Marny around the corners !!

While watching the Magic Show, Rabbit ears suddenly appeared on Gabby's head !!

A Bloomin' Onion !! Can you say Grease Fest ??

And the "must have" of the Fair...Sweet corn-on-the-cob !! (L to R -- Francesca, Gabriella, Dominic, and Marnina)

GLAA Again

This is the school that Vincent is attending for his sophomore year. Great Lakes Adventist Academy is located in Cedar Lake, Michigan and has an average of 250 (?) students in the high school grades each year.

Headed to registration early Sunday afternoon August 23rd. Vince is out front and Gabby is videotaping on the right. Francesca is close behind.

To make the 6 hour trip pass more quickly, Todd hooked up the TV/VCR combo and the kids chose some movies to watch. Marny, Dominic, Francesca, and Vince left to right.

Marny, Francesca, and Vince being silly for Gabby on the camera ! Vince will be having his first 'home-leave' on September 23rd this year. Looking forward to that ! We all miss him when he is gone, but we know that he is having good experiences and is being presented with amazing opportunities that other children don't receive. Love you Vincent !!

Puppies Puppies Everywhere !!

This is one of Roxy's puppies, a male. They all just got their eyes open today! Right on time at 2 and a half weeks old today.

This is the runt from Cha-Cha's litter on the left and the white male from Roxy's litter on the right. They are way different in size yet only 10 days apart in birth !

Tootsie is such a good dog. She's not quite 1 year old herself and she just knows to be gentle and cautious with the babies. She seems to be saying "Get that thing outta here ! I don't wanna get in trouble with the mother !" This puppy is a female from Cha-Cha's litter and looks just like her.

Another pic of the runt from Cha-Cha's litter. So sweet at 1 week old today ! What a sleeping little angel.

Here is a male from Cha-Cha. His white sox are a lot shorter than his nearly identical grey sister, again 1 week old today.

Roxy's Babies

A girl flanked by her brothers.......Roxy, our chihuahua/morkie mix, had puppies on the 18th. All went well, and mother and babies are doing fine !!

Nurse Gabby watching over the birth......

A male in Francesca's hands.....2 hours old.

The female in Francesca's hands....2 hours old.

Ski-ters Show

That's Vince and Dominic down front, watching the show. 3 guys are doing the big jump and flipping and stuff. Sick !!

The Badwater Ski-ters in Spread Eagle, Wisconsin draw quite a crowd for their shows. Gabby is on the left of course, and Marny is on the right. The show was very impressive and entertaining, and FREE !! They did come around and ask for donations, but we had spent all our 20 dollar bill at the concession stand :-)

I think I counted 18 girls in this line. All teens and under, the youngest was like 7 or something. You go girls !!!

20 dollars at the concession stand for ice cream treats, popcorn, and a soda was money well spent for a fun family night out !! Left to right is Gabriella, Francesca, Vincent, Dominic, and Marnina. Our beautiful babies :-)

Our Swimming Hole

This is Big Lake Fumee, about 20 miles or so to the West of us. Clear, beautiful water, fed from springs and streams, lots of loons, clams, fish, beavers, and eagles. We love to come here and hike or swim. It seems this spot is unknown, it's like our own private swimming hole. All sand beach and noone around for miles = pure heaven on earth !!!

FINALLY

I have ALWAYS wanted a swing hanging from a tree somewhere in our yard for the kids to enjoy.....And now we've got one !!! FINALLY !!! we've only lived here 8 years :-) Happy mommy and happy children---Thank you Daddy !!!

Almost Two Whole Hands

Dominic turned 9 on July 22nd. We had Gramma and Grampa and favorite cousin Will over for cake and ice cream and presents. Legos were at the top of the list !! Cake was store bought, I'm working now, so it is just easier to go that route :-) Isn't he too cute ????

She'll Never Forget

Once you learn how, you never forget.......Francesca is riding her bike (a hand-me-down from her big brother Dominic) for the first time !!! Needless to say, I was in tears. My last baby doesn't need her training wheels anymore. Boo-Hoo ! :-)